Folding handle



March 26, 1963 w. H. WEST 3,082,473

FOLDING HANDLE Filed June 1, 1960 INVENTOR. Werff/z W United States Patent O 3,632,473 FLDlNG HANDLE Warren H. West, Seabrook Beach, NH., assigner to Carnbridge iiernrinnic Corpora-tien, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed .inne l, 1960, Ser. No. 33,265 Claims. (Ci. iti-126) The eld of this invention is that of handles, and the invention relates, more particularly, to handles which can be moved into several positions.

Objects of this invention are to provide la folding handle assembly which is especially suitable for use with structures for mounting electrical equipment, such as panels or chassis or components thereof; to provide such a handle that can be conventionally rotated between an inoperative position laying dat against a surface of the said structure, and an operative position laterally extending therefrom, the handle being securely retained in either of said positions and incapable of being rotated beyond the extending position so that the structure can be conveniently and securely moved by means of the handle; to provide such a handle which will occupy a minimum of space in inoperative position; and to provide a handle assembly which is exceptionally strong, pleasing of appearance and reliable in operation and which, nevertheless, can be simply and inexpensively manufactured, assembled and mounted.

The substance of the invention can be briefly summarized as follows.

in one of its principal aspects, lthe handle assembly according to the invention comprises body :or mounting means which are attachable to a supporting structure to be manipulated by the handle, `and which mounting means have socket means therein, key means disposed within these body socket means, and means for normally biasing the key means to extend from the socket means; a handle piece havin-g a series of locking elements pivotally mounted on vthe body means so that the locking elements are successively and releasably engaged with the key means as the handle is pivoted into respective positions, thereby automatically and detachably to hold the handle in any of such positions.

in .a preferred embodiment of the invention the above body or mounting means comprise a pair of threaded studs each having a slotted end and a blind axial bore in the base of its end slot. A coil spring and a key pin are disposed in each of these axial stud bores such that the spring serves to bias the pin normally to extend from the stud bore. A U-shaped handle piece `adapted 1to pivot about an axis extending through the ends of the handle is pivotally mounted in the slots of the threaded studs and lis provided with a pair of notches in each end which are circumferentially spaced around the handle axis and which are separated by an arcuate surface concentric with the axis. The handle notches are spaced and the handle is pivotally mounted adjacent to the key pins so that when the handle is laying ilat against the article to which the mounting studs are attached, the pins engage one notch on each end of the handle; when the handle lis pivoted to a position where it extends horizontally from lthe article, the pins engage the other notches in the handle ends. In this manner the handle can be detacbably held in either of the handle positions but can be moved to the other of said handle positions by applica-tion of a force sufficient to wedge the pins into their respective bores against the bias of their respective springs.

In the above characterized preferred embodiment of this invention, the handle ends are provided with shoulder means engageable with the bases of the stud slots in the extending handle position so that the handle will not Fice rotate beyond extended position and can be used for lifting the article to which the handle is attached. In an alternative embodiment, the stud slots are provided with shoulder means which engage the handle in extended position wherein it can be used for similar lifting purposes.

Other objects, inventive aspects, advantages and detai-ls of preferred construction will appear from the following description of two typical practical embodiments illustrating the novel characteristics of the invention.

The description refers to la drawing in which FIG. l is a plan View of the handle assembly -according to this invention, showing the handle piece in extended position;

FlG. 2 is a sectional view along line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevation view of the handle assembly showing the handle piece laying flat against the structure to which the handle is attached;

FlG. 4 is a sectional View of FIG. 3, taken lon the same plane as FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing an alternative embodiment of the handle assembly according to this invention.

In the drawing, numeral 2 indicates the handle assembly proper as provided by the invention. This assembly is shown as mounted upon an article such as a drawer, chassis, or Iinstrument panel compartment, such a supporting structure being diagrammatically represented in dot and dash lines at 4.

The handle assembly 2 includes body or mounting means such Ias a pair of threaded studs 6, 7 for attaching the assembly to the article 4, each stud having an axial end slot 8 forming lthe slot side walls '9, 10 and the slot; base surface 12. Each stud also has a blind axial bore 14 (FIG. 2) in the base 12 of its end slot. The studs can be securedto the supporting article in conventional manner either by engaging `a nut (not shown) with the thread on the ends of the studs 6, '7, or by engaging eac-h stud thread in a corresponding threaded bore in the article such `as indicated at 4.1. In this latter instance, the stud end slots will accomodate a yscrew driver or other turning means for rotating the studs into threaded engagement with the Karticle bores. Preferably each stud is provided with a head portion i6.1, 7.1 forming a shoulder 6.2, '7.2 by means `of which the stud can be conveniently positioned on the article so that, when the end slots of the studs are in parallel relation, the bases 12 of the slots will be aligned iiush with each other.

A pin 16 (HG. 2) preferably having a wedge-.shaped end 16.1 is iitted within the axial bore of each stud and adapted to be axially slidable therein. A coil spring 18 is disposed 'Within each of the bores for biasing the pins normally to extend from the bores. The pins can be made of any relatively hard, smooth material but the hard and slippery material called Teflon has proved most suited for this purpose.

The handle assembly further includes a U-shaped handle piece 20 which has arms 22, 23` :of equal length- `which has handle piece ends 24, 25 reduced as at 24.1,

25.1 where necessary, adapted to be accommodated in respective stud end slots 8-and which has coaxial bores 26 in the handle piece ends defining an axis 28 about which the handle piece is adapted to rotate. The side walls 9, 10 `of the lstud end slots are coaxially bored, as at 10.1 (FIG. 3), to match the handle piece bores 25, and rolled or spring pins 13l) are iitted within respective sets of said bores for pivotally mounting the handle piece in the stud slots for rotation about the handle axis 2S.

Each handle end is provided with a pair of notches 32 and 34 which are circumferentially spaced about the axis 28 and which are separated by an arcuate surface 36 concentric with that axis. The handle axis is located and the handle notches are spaced so th'at the handle piece can be rotated about this axis between an inoperative position laying hat against the surface of the article to which the. handle assemblyY is attached, as shown. in FIG. 3, and a position extending from the article, as shown in FIG. 2. The notch 32 on each handle end is adapted -to receive the wedge-shaped end of its respective pin 16,

Aas biased by a spring 13, when the handle piece is in extending position, andthe notch 34 on each end of the handle is adapted to receive the said pin when the handle is in inoperative position. The handle piece will Ibe detachably held in either position by engagement of the pins inthe respective notches. However, when the handie piece is, forcibly -rotated from one position to the other, the arcuate surface 36 separating each pair of handle notches Willride over its respective pin 16 wedging it within its respective bore against the bias of the spring i3.

Each handle end is provided with a shoulder 33 (FIG. 2)' which tangentially extends from the notch 32' oppositely of the "above described arcuate surface 36 and which is adapted to abut the base 12 of its respective stud slot S. when the handle is in extending position. Thisprevents rotation of the handle piece beyond that extending .position and permitsouse'of the handle for lifting the article in the general direction of the base 12, that is at right angles to lthe plane of the extended handle. A surface 4t) on each [arm 22, 23 of the handle piece tangentially extends from the notch 34 oppositely of the arcuate surface '36, and, corresponding to the shoulder 38, is adapted y to abut the base 12pt its respective stud slot 8 when the handle is in inoperative position.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the handle piece is in inoperative position abutting the bases 12 of the mounting stud slots, the handle is preferably spaced a Avery short distance from Ithe handle mounting surface of the article 4, thereby to assure that the handle piece is detachably engaged by the key pins-16 so that the handle will not rattle against the article, and thereby to facilitate -subseuquent gripping .ofthehandle for rotating the handle to Yextended position.V However, VWhere space is at a premium, thebases 12 of thev stud slots can be made ush with the handle mounting surface of the article 4. Preferably also the heads 6.1, 7 .1 of the handle mounting studs areV adapted to Vbe ush with the outer surfaces of the handle piece when Vthe handle piece is in inoperative position so that'the handle assembly will ocoupythe minimum of mounting space.

It can thus beseen'that theV handle assembly provided by this invention is of light, simple and inexpensive construction neverthelessl providing extremely certain and secure operation, that thisassembly can be rotated between two precisely deiinite handle positions, can be detachably held in either handle position, :and will abut a xedisurface as it isdetachably held in each of said positions. Thus thehandle in extended position can be used to pull, lift orpush the ,article` to which it is attached,

and will conveniently remain in extending position until forcibly returned to inoperativeposition. In inoperative position, the handle occupies a minimurnof space and will not rattle in response to movementor vibration of the article to which it is attached. Y

In FIG. 5, an alternative Vembodiment' of the handle assembly is illustrated. In this construction, the U-shaped handle 12d is adapted :to pivot about 4an axi-s yt28 as above-described, but each handle piece end H4 is nished with a semicylindrical surfacelicentered on the axis and with a pair of notches; 132 and V13A- respectively, Which are circumferentially spaced on this surface; Each mounting stud 106 has a slot v108 in'one.end,.withslot side walls 11G-110, with a slot base 112, and with a slot end shoulder 113.V Y

`In this construction, When-thehandle is rotate-d to a position horizontally Vextending from-ank article as `above described, the notch 132 in each handle end will be detachably engaged with a keypin 116.- A surface 133cm each handle piece arm 122. will then abut a respective slot shoulder 113l for preventing rotation of the handle beyond the extending position and permitting use of the handle for lifting the structure to which the handle assembly is attached. When the handle assembly is rotated to an inoperative position, a surface i4() in each handle piece arm abuts the base H2 of its respective stud slot as above described.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

:1. A handle assembly comprising: a U-shaped handle piece adapted to pivot between two handle positions around Ian axis extending through the ends of said handle piece, each of said ends having a pair of notches circumferentially spaced around said axis and separated by an arcuate surface centered on said axis, each of said ends having a shoulder tangentially extending from each of saidrnotches oppositely of said arcuate surface; body means attachable to a supporting structure, said body means having slots for receiving respective handle piece ends and having a blind bore in the base of each slot; a pin axially slidable within each of lsaid bores; spring means for biasing said pins to extend from said bores;

Yand means for pivotally mounting the handle piece ends in their respective slots for rotation about said handle taxis; whereby, as the handle piece is rotated into each handle position, said pins will engage respective notches in each end of the piece for detachably holding the piece in sai-d position, and a shoulder on each end of the piece Will engage the base of its mounting slot for positively limiting rotation of the handle piece.

2; A handle assembly comprising: a U-shaped handle piece adapted to pivot between two handle positions about an axis extending through the ends of said handle piece, each of said ends having a pair of notches circumferentially spaced around said axis and separated by an arcuate surface concentric with said axis, and eachV of said ends having a shoulder extending from each of said notches tangentiallyto said arcuate surface; a pair of threaded studs attachable to a supporting structure, said studs each having an axiallylslotted end for receiving respective handle piece ends yand having a blind axial bore in the base of said slot; a pin axially slidable in each of Said bores; a coil spring disposed in each Vof said bores for biasing said pins to extend from said bores; and means for pivotally mounting the handle piece ends in their respective slots for rotation about saidhandle axis; whereby, as the handle piece is rotated into each handie position, said pins will engage respective notches in each end of the piece for detachably holdingthe piece in said position, and a shoulder on each end ofthe piece will engage the base of its mounting slot for positively limiting rotation of the handle piece.

3. Ahandle assembly comprising: a U-shaped handle pieceadapted to pivot between two handle positions about anaxis extending through the ends of said handle piece, each of said ends having an arcuate surface centered on said axis, la pair of notches circumferentially spaced along said arcuate surface, one notch in the plane of said handle piece and the other at right angles thereto, and a flat surface tangentially extending from said first notch at right angles to said handle plane; body means having stud means for attaching it .to a supporting structure, having slots for receiving respective handle piece ends, each of said `slots with two side walls and a bottom wall transverse to said stud means, and having a blind bore in the basel thereof; a pin axially slidable within each of said bores; spring means for biasing said pins to extend from said bores; and means for pivotally mounting the handle piece ends in their respective slots for rotation about said handle axis; whereby, as the handle is rotated ,into eachhandle position, said pins will engage respective notches in each end of the handle piece for deatchably holding the piece in said position, and handle piece rotation beyond said positions is limited by the slot bottom wall and flat handle end surface respectively.

4. A handle assembly including a handle piece and a receiving assembly therefor,

said receiving assembly being attachable to the face of a supporting structure and comprising a stud having a head, an axial slot formed in said head and deiined by a base and opposed sides thereof, an axial bore formed in the base of said slot and a pin axially slidable in said bore, siad pin being spring biased to a normal position extending from said bore; and said handle piece having an end portion pivotally mounted in said slot for rotational movement between two handle positions about an axis extending through the end of Vsaid handle piece, one of said handle piece positions being retracted and generally ilush with the face of the supporting structure while the other position is extended and inclined to the face of the supporting structure, said end portion including an arcuate surface centered on -said axis and a pair of notches circumferentially spaced along said arcuate surface, one notch in the' plane of said handle piece and the other disposed -at an angle thereto, and a shoulder having a flat face projecting beyond -said arcuate surface, Ithe lilat face of said projecting shoulder being engageable with said base a supporting structure and comprising a pair of studs each having a head, an axial slot formed in each of said heads and dened by a base and opposed sides thereof, an axial bore formed in the base of said slots and a pin axially slidable in each of said bores, said pins being spring biased to a normal position extending from said bores; and

said handle piece having end portions pivotally mounted in said slots for rotational movement between two handle positions about an axis extending through said ends of said handle piece, one of said handle piece positions being retracted and generally ush with the face of the supporting structure while the other position is extended and inclined to the face of the supporting structure, each of said end portions including an arcuate surface centered on said axis and a pair of notches circumferentially spaced along said arcuate surface, one notch in the plane of said handle piece and the other disposed at an angle thereto, and a shoulder having a at face projecting beyond said arcuate surface, the fiat face of said projecting shoulder being engagcable with said base of said axial slot of the receiving assembly thus forming a positive stop for the extended position of the handle piece.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 324,444 Wolf Aug. 18, 1885 of said ax1al slot of the receivlng assembly thus 30 888,079 Furman May 19, 1908 forming a positive stop for the extended position 980,193 Brema Jan 3, 1911 o-f the handle piece 993,163 Griik May 23, 1911 5. A handle assembly including a U-shaped handle 2,177,202 Berge Oct. 24, 1939 piece and a receiving assembly therefor, 2,270,923 Birdsall Jan. 27, 1942 said receiving assembly being attachable to the face of 2,652,908 Fuller Sept. 22, 1953 

1. A HANDLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A U-SHAPED HANDLE PIECE ADAPTED TO PIVOT BETWEEN TWO HANDLE POSITIONS AROUND AN AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH THE ENDS OF SAID HANDLE PIECE, EACH OF SAID ENDS HAVING A PAIR OF NOTCHES CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED AROUND SAID AXIS AND SEPARATED BY AN ARCUATE SURFACE CENTERED ON SAID AXIS, EACH OF SAID ENDS HAVING A SHOULDER TANGENTIALLY EXTENDING FROM EACH OF SAID NOTCHES OPPOSITELY OF SAID ARCUATE SURFACE; BODY MEANS ATTACHABLE TO A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, SAID BODY MEANS HAVING SLOTS FOR RECEIVING RESPECTIVE HANDLE PIECE ENDS AND HAVING A BLIND BORE IN THE BASE OF EACH SLOT; A PIN AXIALLY SLIDABLE WITHIN EACH OF SAID BORES; SPRING MEANS FOR BIASING SAID PINS TO EXTEND FROM SAID BORES; 